The illustrative embodiments disclosed in the present application are useful in systems including those for processing facsimile messages and more particularly are useful in systems including those for sending facsimile messages using a digital pen.
Traditional facsimile machines are typically found in small to large corporate offices and are often found in the small office/home office (SOHO) settings. Facsimile machines may be found in small retail businesses, hotels, schools and in stores providing such services to individuals as a retail service. Such typical facsimile machines include a chassis having a connection to an analog telephone line, an analog modem for communication and a keypad for dialing the telephone number of a receiving facsimile machine. Such typical facsimile machines include a monochromatic (black and white), one bit per pixel scanner for facsimile output and a printer for output. The printer technology utilized in traditional facsimile machines include thermal printing, inkjet printing and laser printing. The scanner input and printing engine are typically limited to 8.5-inch wide paper. Accordingly, the size of documents that may be sent using a traditional facsimile machine is limited. The traditional facsimile machine is limited in the size of documents that may be printed, although incoming documents may in some cases be scaled to fit the available paper size.
The traditional facsimile machine receives documents that may be typed or handwritten. The documents are scanned into a facsimile transmission format that is typically compressed. The sender inputs the recipient telephone number, the facsimile machines negotiate a connection and protocol and the facsimile is transmitted as a compressed monochromatic bitmap representation of the original.
More recently, facsimile service systems have become available for general-purpose computers such as the Windows/Intel personal computer platforms in which a user may send a computer file such as a word processing file to a recipient facsimile machine. In such a system, the file is typically converted to a facsimile format file such as TIFF and the computer uses its analog modem to send the facsimile as if it had been scanned into a facsimile machine. These systems are useful only when the document to be sent is available in some digital form and are not useful for sending handwritten information such as a signed letter. Certain other systems utilize a general-purpose scanner and general-purpose computer to provide the functionality of a traditional facsimile machine.
In using a traditional facsimile machine, a user may handwrite a cover sheet having the number of pages and the origin and destination information written on it. The user will then send the facsimile cover sheet with the attached letter to the intended recipient by dialing the recipient facsimile machine number and starting the transmission.
Accordingly, user must have access to the attached letter at the traditional facsimile machine or on the general-purpose computer of the facsimile service system. Such a user may be required to walk to the neatest facsimile machine and may also be required to wait in line for an available facsimile machine or scanner for a facsimile service system. Similarly, the user of a facsimile service system must have access to the general-purpose computer to process a facsimile and may also have to wait for an available scanner. A reference entitled method and apparatus for pen-based faxing is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,903 issued Mar. 13, 2001 to Wolff, et al. and is incorporated herein by reference. The reference describes a system for designating a recipient of a facsimile using strokes made with a pen.